Control
by msbebe
Summary: Kylo awakens first after the death of Snoke and the battle with the Praetorian Guards. He can't hurt Rey, but he can't let her go either. Eventual REYLO. Rated T at the moment.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hi everyone! This is just my second fanfic ever and it's been a long time since I've written for fun. Would love your thoughts on this. This is set during TLJ – after the death of Snoke. I guess I wanted to know what would happen if Kylo awoke first. Obviously, I don't own Star Wars or any of its affiliations.

 **Chapter 1**

Rey felt the cold, hard floor beneath her body and tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. She brought her hand up tenderly to inspect the damage, pushing off with her left forearm and then leaning into, gingerly. Why gingerly?

Snoke.

Ben.

The Praetorian Guards.

It all rushed back to her in an overwhelming wave of red. Where was Ben? And where was Master Luke's lightsaber? As she looked around, small pieces of something flittered like confetti to the floor. She didn't want to know what they were. The room, once sparse and clinical, was littered with debris. But no Ben.

She gained her bearings and stood upright, moving with more haste as she realized the possibility of saving the fleet may have not been decimated along with the room. Moving towards the clear panel Snoke had maneuvered her to previously, Rey scanned frantically for any sign of life. No transports were visible. How long had she been out? Could they have already dispersed safely, outrunning the guns of the First Order? She needed a way to get them and she needed to find Ben.

Ben…

Before she had been knocked down they had been playing a mental game of tug of war with Skywalker's lightsaber. Surely if he had come to before her, he would have finished her. She had made her position clear – she would not turn. And if she wouldn't turn, then she could be of little use to him. Because he had made his position quite clear also…

" _No, no. You're still holding on! Let go?"_

Why hadn't he taken her with him, as a captive? He'd done so before. Why hadn't he killed her? Perhaps there was still hope that Ben was still there.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:I am not a Star Wars fiend. I have only recently jumped on the ol' bandwagon so I apologize to all those diehards who can see every instance of differentiation from cannon. My sincerest regrets…**

 **Also, yes the chapters will be longer. I had planned for Chapter 1 to be longer but I have a 5 month old baby and he had other plans for me.**

Chapter 2

The First Order was falling apart. Literally. Whatever had hit the ship had done an impressive job of rendering it completely useless. Pieces of the ship, as large as whole wings, had broken off and were floating aimlessly in space. Fire had begun to consume what was left, which wasn't much. Stormtroopers and officers alike were frantically running, seemingly any which way, trying to escape the doomed cruiser. Rey was sorting through her options as quickly as she could; find a pod, her pod even, and abandon ship, or, search for Ben. She had no idea where the Resistance would re-group so she had no coordinates to set for the pod. And, she was almost positive that looking for Ben would result in her death. Hi Rock, meet Hard Place.

She glanced across the hangar and saw, remarkably and somewhat unbelievably, that her pod remained intact. Dodging her way towards the pod, Rey prayed to the Maker that it was still functioning. Thirty feet away, twenty feet, ten – almost there. Crack. The thin red line of Ben's lightsaber appeared out of nowhere, arcing in front of Rey and prohibiting her from moving forwards. She halted abruptly, feet almost skidding to a standstill and looked up, always up, from his chest, to his broad shoulders, and finally to his face, carved by her own hand. She startled. Where Rey expected to see the fiery glare of hatred and contempt, she saw possibly the most peaceful arrangement of features that had ever graced Ben's face. Not a frown, or a glare, or even a smirk. He seemed… resigned. Although that seemed unlikely given their current situation.

"Rey, obviously I cannot let you leave this ship in this pod," he informed her monotonously.

"Obviously," she quipped back. "I'm assuming you have an alternative course of action in mind."

"Obviously," Ben repeated, with considerable less sass than she had handed it out.

Rey paused, expecting Ben to slice her through with his saber, or at least handcuff her again.

"If you'd follow me. There is a shuttle waiting for us." And he turned and began stalking towards the one remaining ship that wasn't up in flames. Just like that. Without a glance over his shoulder to ensure she was acquiescing, he just assumed she would. Of course, she really didn't have another option if she didn't want to go down with The Supremacy.

xx

Rey watched as the face of the man with flaming red hair became steadily pinker, the edges blending in with his slicked down do.

"Are you to tell me that we are not chasing down the remnants of the Resistance that fled to Crait, _Supreme Leader_?" the man snarled, drawling out Ben's new title with as much venom as he could muster.

"I am giving you an order General, and as your _Supreme Leader,"_ Kylo drawled back, "you are to follow said order without question. Do I need to remind you why it is I who am now in control of your armies?" Rey assumed it was a rhetorical question, and given that the pinkish hue of Hux's face faded instantaneously to a garish white, she assumed he knew it was too.

"Understood Sir," Hux gulped, turned heel and made his way into one of the rooms stemming from the corridor of the shuttle Rey had followed Ben onto. She snuck a glance at the _Supreme Leader_ standing less than a foot from her. Although she had seen him semi-dressed (thanks to their Force bond), this was probably the first time she had seen him look less than menacing. Even in their quiet moments, he exuded a sense of malicious authority that was difficult not to shrink from. But as he stood before her, attire ripped and burnt, long dark hair stuck to his forehead and neck with sweat, soot marring his pale skin, he looked anything but the _Supreme Leader_. He could really do with a refresher.

 _As if you look any better._ He quirked a brow at her, reminding her that not only had she been staring at his form, but had clearly been projecting her thoughts loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, but everyone is used to me looking like a dirty desert rat," she countered, fighting down the urge to poke her tongue at him as well. It decidedly would not be in her best interest considering she had no idea what his plans were for her. "So," she paused, hoping he would see enough of her thoughts to know what she wanted to ask.

"So…" he repeated.

"Don't be obtuse Ben. What exactly is happening here?"

He sighed. Loudly. As if the answer was extremely obvious and he could not believe he had to humour her with a response. "Obviously, you're my prisoner. I mean, you are a war criminal so it's not like I can just let you go. But perhaps you will be provided some leniency if you agree to some simple conditions."

"What conditions?" she muttered, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Well, you'd have to agree to let me teach you the ways of the Force. You would also have to assist me in repairing the Skywalker lightsaber, it is an heirloom after all. And you would have to agree to publicly renouncing the Resistance. Simple really. And, a seemingly fair trade for your life."

Rey stared at him dumbfounded. Had he even listened to a single word she had been saying to him? Was breaking the saber not sign enough that they would never be on the same side?

"Did we not just have this conversation in your Master's throne room? You asked me to join you, I said no, things escalated… remember?"

Another sigh. "That was before I had leverage. Now your options are limited. You can join me or you can die," Ben's calm demeanor betrayed the violent lining of his vernacular.

"Weren't they always my only options," Rey whispered back to him. Allowing her gaze to drift from the floor up to his eyes, she held him there, praying he felt the energy moving through the Force bond as strongly as she did. It hummed steadily, pushed and pulled, a thick blanket of fine strings connecting them from her mind to his. It was almost tangible and she ventured to think that if she moved a step to the right, he would follow suit, involuntarily and without thought. She tried to push her feelings through the bond – despair, fear, but also hope – imploring him to reach inside of himself, with whatever shred of his humanity that remained, to empathize with her plight. She didn't need his pity, but if he failed to understand her position than they would be again at an impasse.

He shook his head and lowered his eyes. He had heard her alright but it clearly wasn't enough.

Rey bit her lip, narrowing her eyes in that forced concentration where you know you need to come up with an answer, but you also know that you have no clue as to even the ballpark that answer may be in. A fruitless endeavor. The intercom buzzed and a computerized voice echoed through the corridor needing confirmation on the coordinates for their departure. Ben provided them with little fuss, still appearing to be waiting for Rey to agree to his terms. She continued to think, checking and double checking her observations and memories, hoping for something to catch her attention. "They were not the coordinated of Crait," she stated, her head whipping around to Ben in realization. "Where are we going if not to end the Resistance?"

Ben's head tilted to the side. Low and behold, another sigh escaped his lips, and Rey began to wonder if he would use his quota for those anytime soon. "We will _obviously_ need a quiet place for you to practice the Force. You can't assume to be able to meditate effectively as a novice, in a First Order ship busting with activity such as this one."

"And what will the rest of your subordinates do whilst I am meditating, _O Supreme Leader_?" she queried.

He chuckled. "I'm sure the General will find something to entertain the troops." The intercom buzzed again. "Now if you would follow me to your quarters. I am sure upon some reflection, you will agree to the terms, but it appears as if you require time."

And once again, Rey found herself following Ben willingly into the unknown.

Xx

"Supreme Leader, we will arrive shortly on Takodana. We can spare very few troops to accompany you and the prisoner. Are you certain that your presence is required there. Surely, your time would be of better use here now we are forced to regroup," Hux attempted to be reverent but could not fully hide his disdain for his new leader.

Ignoring the majority of Hux's speech, Ben replied, "You are to orbit whilst infantry units stationed in the Outer Rim gather. We will not have need of any troops on Takodana. I can handle the prisoner. Alone."

Xx

 **AN: So sorry this took so long. I'm not happy with it either. I kept starting it only to be interrupted by a crying baby (a cute one though) and the chapter lost its flow and purpose as a result. Promise to be better next chapter!**


End file.
